Shadow Wars
|conc= |next=Chase of Nebelon |imageBG= |image=No image.jpg |name=Shadow Wars |begin=2100s |end=April 2130 |place=The solar system |result= |battles=*Attack at the Acquisition District *Attack on the MBH |side1=*Team of Terror *U.S. Government *S.M.S.B. |side2=*Knights of Meyer |side3= |side4= |commanders1=*Benjamin Vowell *Damon Alexis *Master Intelligence *Vincent Organa *Jay Organa |commanders2=Thomas Meyer |commanders3= |commanders4= }} The Shadow Wars was a major conflict fought in the solar system, and primarily North America. It was started by the Dark mutant the Dark Flame and his followers, the Knights of Meyer, with the intentions of toppling the government, replacing them with their own empire that would control the entire population of the solar system and eternally trap the Fobbles in a state of "forced peace". History Prelude The fall of Thomas Meyer In New York City during the winter of 2042, Master Intelligence, who was grieving the loss of Red X, met Thomas Meyer, the great nephew of his neighbor Myra Gordon. The two boys took to each other at once, as they were both incredibly talented young men. When the young Thomas began telling Master Intelligence about his ideas, he found that Intelligence was in agreement - whether this was due to true belief on Intelligence’s part or out of something else is unclear. Thomas became Centauri when he joined the S.M.S.B. Tragically, Meyer was forced to leave the MBH after he had a duel with Master Intelligence and his students, Baby Strength and Force Baby, in which Force Baby died. Some time after leaving the S.M.S.B. the Dark Flame stole the Sword of Abomination from George Thames II, a famous blacksmith. In the mix, the entity Nebelon awoke and intercepted both the chaos and the Dark Flame's interest in her existence. Knight Attacks Over the coming years, the Dark Flame began his dark revolution, and his power grew throughout the solar system. Due to his obsession with the Arts, the Dark Flame adopted the symbol of the Arts as his Mark, as he built up his organization - an army collectively known as the Knights of Meyer, following him and his quest. The Knights' attacks spread fear worldwide, and they became widely feared, even in places where they weren't active. At this point in time, the Dark Flame constructed a flagship he called the Defilement, to serve as his fortress. The threat that the Knights of Meyer caused brought the attention of international authorities, such as the International Syndicate of Mutants. A worldwide manhunt began for the Dark Flame. The search for Eegan Grover After the Dark Flame’s rise to power across North America, the global community desperately sought aid. The President, Benjamin Vowell, was ousted from his office in 2104, for not taking adequate measures to stop the Dark Flame’s influence. He was replaced by the more proactive Damon Alexis who proved himself a sound governor in the context of international turmoil, but even so, the Dark Flame’s power was too large to handle by that point. Around the time of Vowell's ousting, the S.M.S.B. and the Knights of Meyer both learned that Eegan Grover, who was now retired and living in New York, had the Map of Light in his possession. Hoping that Eegan could help them defeat the Knights of Meyer, Sheriff Blaster sent Commander Luke Cameron, (the son of Saul Cameron), to search for Eegan, a search that led him to Albany to recover the map. As such, Eegan gave the map to Luke just before the Knights of Meyer arrived. As the Dark Flame arrived with his forces and assaulted the village, Luke fled and Eegan was captured by troops and brought before the Dark Flame. The dark warrior demanded the map to the MBH while Eegan refused. When Eegan did not comply, the Dark Flame killed him with his sword and ordered the complete destruction of the village. Thanks to Luke and Eegan’s collected efforts, however, the map that Eegan gave his life to protect ultimately made its way back to the S.M.S.B. The war begins After seeing a vision of KM-15 being tortured and killed, Master Intelligence discovered the existence of the Knights of Meyer. They immediately returned to New York City from Asia. The subsequent duel in the Acquisition District took place in New York City four months after the Attack on Palmyra. Notable as the return of the S.M.S.B. to North America, the battle was initially intended as the Knights of Meyer raiding on the MBH, based on intelligence gathered by Captain Photon, who led the attack until the Dark Flame arrived. However, the S.M.S.B. was waiting for the assault. As the S.M.S.B. members prepared to hold off the Dark Flame, the Knights of Meyer launched attacks on the MBH but could not enter it. Master Intelligence activated the shield generator before everyone came outside. Realizing the time was right, the Dark Flame called off his forces and entered the wreckage personally, slaughtering Retrowoman and Telekinibabe, and besting Lindsay Kellerman, Sebiscuits and Baby Strength. As the General engaged the last S.M.S.B. member standing, Master Intelligence, a squad of Advanced Recon Commandos, by orders of the Mayor, intervened. As the gunships engaged the Knights of Meyer, Forcier and his team charged into the wreckage, where they quickly forced the Dark Flame to retreat. With the Dark Flame thus occupied, the surviving ANOCs and S.M.S.B. members retreated. The ANOC troopers, covering their withdrawal, forced Photon to call off the rest of the troops. To Master Intelligence’s relief, he realized that most of his apprentices had survived. They took refuge at Jorvian Assylum and resolved to openly join the war effort against the Knights of Meyer. And yet, the Dark Flame’s reign of terror endured. He assumed the identity of Stacey Huddleston and tricked ambassadors Marchant and Littleton into giving it to him freely. The wider war Open warfare had begun. With the Dark Flame having proven he, much less alone, could stand up to the entire S.M.S.B. and a team of government reinforcements and hold his own, he roused the Knights of Meyer and they stood ready to begin their campaign of conquest of the solar system as the last hope for the solar system was broken and on the run. Many countries that had been taken by the Dark Flame's promises of security, instantly capitulated, while several others were taken by conquest. The solar system itself as a whole soon divided. Mission to Alaska The Battle of Alaska was a skirmish between the Knights of Meyer and the Maiar League during the Shadow Wars in 2134. The battle ended in stalemate, as a faction of the Knights vanished alongside the League. During the course of the battle, the Dark Flame dispatched General George to Alaska to investigate. The general and his squad were initially unable to find it and reported back to the Dark Flame, who ordered George to continue searching, as a loss of this magnitude could not be afforded. As the general continued to search for the vanished army, the government unit Excava Company ambushed them. Led by Commander Urvus, the government detachment eliminated George's Knights, though they failed to prevent George from fleeing. Death in Pennsylvania The leaders of the Team of Terror, Anakin and Jay Organa were dispatched to help the Team of Terror evacuate the camp they had taken shelter in. A sentry had discovered the presence of the Knights of Meyer and reminded them they were planning to leave anyway. However, the Knights, led by Captain Photon, found them leaving, and the Team of Terror chose to stay and fight. In the skirmish, Photon destroyed a bridge, leading to Jay falling off its edge and to his death. Despite this crippling blow, the Team of Terror was able to defeat the Knights of Meyer, though Captain Photon escaped. End of the war Fall of the Dark Flame Master Intelligence’s reputation as the most powerful mutant of the era made the community urge his intervention. Intelligence knew he had to fight his former friend but kept pushing the moment until, as he said, only when it would have been too shameful for him to procrastinate any longer. In 2180, the Dark Flame made another attempt to steal the plans for the MBH and he broke into the building. At this moment, Master Intelligence knew he had to fight. When the Dark Flame found the S.M.S.B., Lindsay opened fire, but the Dark Flame countered and knocked her out briefly. Sebiscuits brandished his sword and engaged the Dark Flame in a sword duel, but he was overpowered and incapacitated. Lindsay drew her sword and attacked again. The Dark Flame initially held the advantage, but soon enough Lindsay was reassured of her power and she quickly moved onto the offensive. However, the Dark Flame drew upon his powers and remained in control. Ultimately he defeated Lindsay and dealt her a facial wound. As Lindsay fell to the ground, Master Intelligence intervened and engaged the villain at close quarters. The resulting three-hour long battle, fought with both swords and superpowers, was one of the most well known duels ever. The fight ended when they both disarmed each other at the same time. Master Intelligence then remembered what they were fighting for and attempted to reason with his former friend. However, the Dark Flame drew his sword and brought it down on Lindsay. Intelligence leaped in front of Lindsay and the sword killed him instead. As Lindsay and Sebiscuits watched, the Dark Flame slammed Intelligence’s corpse through the window for a ten-story fall. Master Intelligence had died at the age of 160. Lindsay and Sebiscuits engaged the Dark Flame in combat, attacking relentlessly. The Dark Flame easily countered; both sides were evenly matched. At one point, Lindsay and Sebiscuits hurled their swords at him, but the villain deflected both blades. Sebiscuits, making for their opponent’s head, accidentally missed the villain and sliced through Lindsay’s handle. Lindsay was then blasted into the doorway. Sebiscuits furiously rounded on the Dark Flame, attacking with rage, performing heavy power attacks. The Dark Flame easily countered his strikes, but soon began to struggle. With his strength and aggressive technique, Sebiscuits finally overpowered the Dark Flame’s defenses and slammed his own sword against his neck. The antagonist fell back and died. Pursuit In the aftermath of the Dark Flame's demise, many of his followers were still at large and considered a huge threat. However, they began to dwindle without their leader, and many of them were captured and imprisoned. Their headquarters were destroyed by bombers, killing many of them. The few survivors were rounded up and arrested by the government fighters, their own enemies. Aftermath Master Intelligence’s death was greatly mourned by the community. In the aftermath of the war, Lindsay Kellerman became the new leader of the S.M.S.B. Behind the scenes The Shadow Wars are the main conflict of The X-Adults: Endgame trilogy. It was during a 2015 interview that D. Isaac Thomas confirmed the war’s name. He also confirmed the deaths of Master Intelligence and Red X the same year. He stated that it amused him to make allusions of what could truly happen in the future if history was forgotten, only without the superpowers. Appearances * * Notes and references Category:Conflicts in North America Category:Knights of Meyer Category:Shadow Wars Category:Team of Terror Category:Wars Category:The S.M.S.B.